Art of smelting ores.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E."

- FRANKLIN BALLOU, OF LEADVILLE, COLORADO.

ART or SMELTING o'REs.

SPEGIFICATION forming part Of, Letters Patent NO. 634,566, dated. October 10, 1899.

Application filed June 29, 1899. Serial No. 722,332. (No specimens.)

will enable others skilled in the art to which.

it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the smelting of ores,

with the object of economizing the consumption of the coke used in such smelting operations, with improved results more especially in pyritic smelting, though it is applicable equally to the smelting of iron, lead, copper, or other ores in stack-furnaces.

Said invention is based on a'discovery which I have made of the very great advantages resulting from the thorough saturation of the coke with water prior to charging it into the smelting-furnace; and the invention consists in this improvement in the art, to wit: the complete and thorough wetting of the coke as a step prior to charging it into the smeltingfurnace.

It might seem paradoxical to allege abenefit from mixing a combustible with the most perfect non-combustible known in an operation where combustion and the attainment of a high degree of heat is the prime element; but the rationale of the process will be clear upon explanation. The water with which the fuel is charged does not ultimately interfere with its combustible qualities, but it performs the very great service of retarding the combustion until the charge has sunk to the proper point in the furnace nearer the smelting-zone than is the case when the coke is charged in dry. The result is that the coke does not burn until there is a very considerable body of charge on top of it. The heat is thus confined to its proper zone by this resistant overlying body and the ore is ultimately found to be reduced with a smaller percentage of consumption of fuel than when the coke is used in a dry state and thus wastefullyburns higher in the stack.

In practice I preferably allow the coke to I soak in Water from one to three days before using, so that it may absorb its full complement of water and become thoroughly satweight of water, and I find by experience in smelting by my process that the consumption of the coke is practically reduced and econo mized by about the same percentage.

The great economy efiected by the employment of my process is no doubt due, first, to the more complete combustion of the fuel when its combustion is retarded until it arrives at the proper zone of combustion, where the heat is intense; second, to the keeping of the top of the furnace always'cool, and thereby avoiding what is known in the art as hot tops, and, third, the saving in waste by the greatly-reduced amount of volatilization in the smelting of ores or matte of the precious metals, as the volatile matters are largely restrained from escaping by the mass of cool wet fuel above.

Heretofore coke has been occasionally sprinkled with waterfor the purpose of fraudulently adding to its weight; but the small percentage of water thus added (about five per cent.) would be of no utility for my purpose and would not come within the scope of my invention. Coke has also been sprinkled with water for the purpose of cooling thesame referred to could be of little service in the op orationsof smelting, as the small percentage of water would disappear before the beneficial results would be obtained.-

After the coke, is thoroughly saturated, as above described, it is fed into the furnace with the ore charge in the usual manner and with the flux, if a flux be used.

10 as fuel, forcing air through the lower part of the charge, and gradually feeding the charge downward to the point where reduction occurs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. FRANKLIN BALLOU.

Witnesses:

A. J. LEONARD, J. Oi A. OARPER. 

